Mattel Draws Criticism for Not Representing an Asian Doll in Its Latest Doll Collection
Barbie doll manufacturer Mattel is drawing flak for a collection of 2020 Olympic dolls that has no Asian representation.
Barbie doll manufacturer Mattel is drawing flak for a collection of 2020 Olympic dolls that has no Asian representation.
According to a CNN report Mattel collaborated with the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and Tokyo 2020 organizers to release a new line of dolls in February 2020.
It is a collection of five dolls that represent the five new sports that were added to Olympics this year namely baseball, sport climbing, karate, skateboarding and surfing.
This collection was a step to “empower girls” to participate in sports and help kids to discover the “athlete within.”
Followers however criticized the line expressing that the collection didn’t have any doll from the East Asian community even though the Olympics were held in Tokyo.
Some argued that a doll with almond-shaped eyes vaguely appears Asia however Taiwanese-American entrepreneur Dave Lu argued “ambiguously Asian isn’t good enough.”
Responding to the criticism a spokesperson from Mattel said in a statement, “Our intention to represent the Asian community with the Skateboarder doll fell short and we fully receive and recognize the feedback.”
Despite all the criticism Mattel has earlier created dolls that represent the Asian community. A doll in honour of snowboarder Chloe Kim who won the gold medal in snowboarding in the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea was released last year.
Before the Olympics, Mattel released a doll commemorating Tennis Player Naomi Osaka’s return to the court in Tokyo that sold out in minutes after its release.
In an official press release on its website Mattel said, it “believes in the power of representation” and it is “committed to continuing to better reflect the world kids see today”.
It further stated, “Barbie is the most diverse and inclusive doll line on the market today, but we are not done yet.”
